Author Archive for Leslie – Page 3

I recently did a segment for TheLip.tv about skin cancer and some foods that can fight and protect you from it. Here is the video and some more information:

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, diagnosed in more than one million Americans and responsible for nearly 10,000 deaths every year. It is also one of the most preventable types of cancer.

There are three types of skin cancer. Squamous cell skin cancer and basal cell skin cancer, which are less serious and usually occur in sun-exposed parts of your body. Melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, also occurs on sun-exposed areas but may appear anywhere on the body. “Melanoma can almost always be cured in its early stages. But it is likely to spread to other parts of the body if it is not caught early,” The American Cancer Society explains.

Sunscreen, the obvious answer, is not your only line of defense against skin cancer. Here are some other tips you probably already know:

-Ditch tanning and UV tanning booths

-Cover up with clothing, hats and sunglasses. tre chic!

-Sunscreen is not just for the beach. Snow, water, and sand can all reflect and intensify the damaging rays of the sun.

-Examine your skin head to toe once a month.

In addition according to Karen Collins, RD, clinical dietitian and nutrition adviser for the American Institute for Cancer Research “In addition to limiting your sun exposure, eating certain foods may help reduce your risk”

“Food is the chemotherapy we all take three times a day,” Dr. William Li MD says. So in addition to sunblock, stock your pantry with a new kind of SPF: skin-protective foods. 5 diet must haves to helping beat skin cancer:

-Fruits and Vegetables

5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day will give you the amount of antioxidants you need to help fight free-radicals in your system. Go for the darkest most colorful foods, they tend to be the best for you

-Chia Seeds

The Omega-3 anti-inflammatory properties in chia seeds are perfect for protecting you from certain cancers

Tea time! A lab study found that the antioxidants found in green and black teas inhibit the the proteins necessary for skin cancer to develop. Researchers at Darmouth Medical School found that people who drank two cups or more daily were 35% less likely to get squamous cell cancer than non-tea drinkers.

-Vino

“Components in wine, may be tumor protective partially because of their antioxidant properties and may also inhibit growth of some human cancer cells,” explains study coauthor Adele Green, MD, PhD, deputy director and head of the cancer and population studies laboratory at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. While scientists get to the bottom of wine’s possible health benefits and the mechanisms behind them, I propose a toast to the promising indicators.

This week I was pretty excited when I got a call from Buzzfeed to do a video for them veganizing my favorite junk food! There were sooooo many recipes to choose from! I went with 4 of my favorites and I hope you enjoy the video and my vegan junk food recipes

Not-cho Mamma’s! Loaded Vegan Nachos

Serves 6

A few handfuls of tortilla chips

(for a even healthier version, cut jicama into “chips”!)

Stewed black beans:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 15 oz. can of black beans (do not drain)

1 tsp. cumin

pinch of cayenne

1 dried bay leaf

Sauté the onions in a small pot in the olive oil and sea salt over medium heat until they begin to soften and look glassy. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Walnut chorizo

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (dry, not packed in oil)

1 cup raw walnuts

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. cumin

1 tbsp. chili powder

a pinch of cayenne

Combine all the ingredients in your food processor and pulse until it reaches a crumbly texture.

Nacho cheese

1 cup raw cashews

2 cups purified water

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. garlic granules

1/2 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

a pinch of cayenne

Soak the raw cashews in a bowl of water about an inch over the top of the nuts. Let sit for 1-2 hours. Drain and rinse. Add to a high-powered blender along with all the other ingredients and puree until smooth. You might have to add a little more water if the cheese mixture is too thick.

Pico de gallo

1/2 cup diced sweet onion

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, chopped (remove the seeds and ribs if you like it a mild)

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. lime juice

3 roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, cover and chill an hour.

Guacamole

1/4 cup finely diced onions

2 ripe avocados

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. lime juice

Mash the ingredients together in a bowl with the back of a fork.

Assemble the nachos! Make sure the beans are warm and give the nacho cheese a quick zap in the microwave. Place the chips in a large bowl, followed by some big spoonfuls of beans and chorizo, drizzle the nacho cheese all over and top with the pico de gallo and lastly the guacamole. Try not to consume alone, because you will eat the whole bowl

Vegan Bacon Cheeseburger

Serves 6

Fakin Bacon

3 cups unsweetened flaked coconut

3 tbsp. low-sodium tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)

2 tbsp. liquid smoke (I like chicory)

1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup

Toss the ingredients together in a bowl and spread onto a foil lined baking sheet. Bake in a oven heated to 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Flip the “bacon” and return to the oven for another 5-7 minutes depending on how crisp you would like yours to be. Remove from the oven and let cool. Store in an air tight container.

Nacho Cheese

1 cup raw cashews

2 cups purified water

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. garlic granules

1/2 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

a pinch of cayenne

Soak the raw cashews in a bowl of water about an inch over the top of the nuts. Let sit for 1-2 hours. Drain and rinse. Add to a high-powered blender along with all the other ingredients and puree until smooth. You might have to add a little more water if the cheese mixture is too thick.

In a large bowl combine the beans, onion, and garlic. Using a potato masher or your hands, lightly smash the beans until they are about 3/4 mashed. Add in the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Form the patties and cook in a lightly greased frying pan on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes on each side or until the sides are golden. (the key to a cooking a good burger is not to flip it too many times. Let it get a nice golden crust on one side before you flip it to the next.) Serve warm with all the fixins!

Cut off any bottom leaves of the cauliflower and cut out the toughest part of the core. Then break the cauliflower down into florets. Boil them with the vegetable broth covered until the cauliflower is very soft and tender. About 15 minutes.

While the cauliflower is cooking, heat a large frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic with the olive oil until soft.

When both are done, using a slotted spoon, remove all the cauliflower from the broth and place in a blender or food processor. Add 3 cup of the cooking broth, all the contents of the frying pan, the rest of ingredients. Puree on high until very smooth, 1-3 minutes. Add a little more broth at a time if it needs to be thinned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the hot, cooked pasta in with the cheese mixture, adding a little at a time until the pasta is covered with a little extra. Pour into a baking dish and top with 1/2 cup crumbled nacho chips. Bake for 10 minutes in a heated 400 degree oven. Serve immediately.

I am still getting through the big ol’ box of potatoes on my counter! This carrot soup is super tasty and really easy to make. You might be thinking, why is the carrot soup gold instead of orange? I was at the farmers market yesterday and they had the most beautiful white and yellow carrots so I went with those. Feel free to use orange carrots, or any color carrots for that matter I hope you enjoy and happy meatless Monday!

Vegan Creamy Golden Carrot Soup

Serves 4

What you’ll need:

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced

3 medium size red potatoes, peeled and diced

5-6 cups of water

Salt to taste

Fresh herbs for garnish such as parsley, dill, or chives

What you’ll do:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add in the diced onions and a pinch of salt. Saute until the onions get pretty soft. Add in the sliced carrots and saute until they get a little soft. Took about 10 minutes. Next add in the potatoes, toss together and add in 5 cups of water. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for about 30 minute or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Working in batches, blend the soup in the blender until smooth. Return to the pot and season more with salt and add more water if you need to thin it out.

Happy Sunday! This morning I found myself with a big box of organic potatoes sitting on my counter leftover from a event this week. I thought, perfect, I will make a Hashbrown Cake! This recipe is super easy and great served on it’s own or with roasted veggies on top or next to a tofu scramble. I hope you enjoy!

Potato Hashbrown Cake

Serves 4-6

3 large yukon potatoes (or red or Idaho)

1/2 onion, diced

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. nutritional yeast

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

Grate the potatoes (skin and all) and place in a strainer. Push down with your hands and try to press as much water out as you can. Put in a bowl and add the onions and all the seasonings. Mix well. In a 8″ skillet heat up 2-3 tbsp. of olive oil on medium-high heat. Press the potatoes smooth into the pan. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 7-10 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom. With a spatula, carefully lift and edge to check the color on the bottom. If it is golden brown, give it a flip. If it is not, let it cook another few minutes. Once it is flipped, let cook another 5-8 minutes or until that side is golden as well. Serve immediately with homemade ketchup or Follow Your Heart Vegan Ranch.

I am thrilled to be participating in this years Celebrity Chefs and Wine Tasting benefiting Children’s Bureau! I will be the only vegan chef there, but I promise, if you come, I will feed you well! I will be making my Balsamic and Thyme Marinated Grilled Portobello Steaks Over Basil Mashed Potatoes. If you can’t make it, I will be on KTLA this morning making the dish (if you don’t live in LA, I will be posting the video soon!). Have your televisions on at 9:45am for my segment.

It’s that time of year… a cool breeze is starting to blow and pumpkins are flooding the grocery stores. If you have a garden, then you are probably pulling up the last of everything. If you have excess of carrots and jalapeños like me (even if you don’t!) this is the perfect recipe to use! I grew up in San Diego going to taco shops and these were served at every one of them. So yummy and surprisingly not too spicy. Just perfect

Spicy Pickled Jalapeno & Carrots

3 cups distilled white vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

20 jalapenos, thinly sliced

4 cups sliced carrots

1 yellow onion, halved and sliced

6 cloves of garlic, sliced

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tbsp. whole peppercorns

2 tsp. salt

In a large pot on high heat, bring the vinegar and sugar to a boil. When sugar has dissolved, add in all the ingredients, stir, and remove from the heat. Let stand 1 hour. Serve at room temp. Or for even more flavor, let sit in your refrigerator overnight.

Happy Labor Day weekend! Due to my knee surgery this week, I am beyond bummed to be missing out on all the festivities this weekend! Promise me you will have enough fun for me as well Today I thought I would share another one of my potato salad recipes. Yes, I know I have shared like 5 this Summer, but what can I say, I love potatoes! This one is different because of the addition of whole grain mustard and green onions. It’s super yummy and gives it a nice tang! Give it a try this weekend and let me know how it goes!

Today I thought, why not put 3 of my favorite Summer ingredients on one plate! And it’s a match made in heaven! I found the peaches at my local farmers market and the rest of the ingredients came from my garden. For a dressing I used a nice aged balsamic my sister got me in Italy and avocado oil. Yep, they make such a thing and it’s heavenly. It’s rich and buttery with just the teensiest taste of avocado. Perfect for a Summer salad like this! You can find avocado oil in markets like Whole Foods, but if you can’t find it, olive oil will work just fine. My favorite brand is Bellavado! It’s not diluted like some brands are.

Heirloom Tomato and Peach Salad

Serves 1

1 peach, sliced in wedges

1 heirloom tomato (I used a black krim), sliced in wedges

8 basil leaves

2 sprigs of chives, chopped

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. avocado or olive oil

a pinch of salt

a pinch of pepper

Arrange the peach, tomatoes, basil, and chives on your plate like a flower and drizzle with the vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately or chilled.

Water Elevated

I love my water! I drink a ton of it! Well, probably not a “ton”… not in one day, but I drink a lot. What I don’t drink is sodas or flavored juices with tons of sugar, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect of hint. I can honestly say, I love it. It is a touch of flavor, enough to know it is there, but doesn’t make you forget you are drinking water. There is nothing artificial added to hint, no sweeteners, and no calories (who wouldn’t love that?!), just a little bit of fruit extract. Hint comes two ways: water or fizz. Personally, I am a huge fan of fizz, so I lean that way a little. My favorite flavors so far are: peach, watermelon, and blackberry. I love these drinks on their own, but I have recently discovered what a nice cocktail mixer they make as well… Hint is definitely a new staple in my pantry! Give it a try and let me know what you think You can order by the case on their website DrinkHint.com